Advancing the profession

TechLectures is having a holiday contest. They ask a single question.  How do we professionalize our vocation?  Follow the link for more details.  While I will not be entering the contest (as to avoid any notion of a conflict of interest, with a link being placed on my site.) I will give you my short essay.

First of all, Show your Pharmacist that we are essential in the practice.   Good Pharmacists who advocate for us are key. There is no doubt we would loose the battle without them.

Moving on, A National Exam and Certification/CE should be required to work in this role in all 50 states.  That exam only being taken at the completion of an accredited education program.  And abolish those shady diploma mills and programs that charge inflated prices and make promises of unrealistic salaries and job growth.

The Pharmacy Technician has the potential to grow into a tried and true Paraprofession.  We lack the recognition as a trained and educated staff member. This will never happen without legislation on state and national levels that regulate their education a training.

Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians have both State and National bodies that oversee their education, training, and licensee.  And while I know little about that profession, it seems that these boards have struck an nice balance to maintain the minimum National standards of the NHTSA and the states still have individual freedom to regulate farther how they see fit.  The Boards of Pharmacy, resisting all lobbies from large corporations, should enact a similar method with stronger minimums. The training programs designed by the large chain pharmacies do nothing more than train their employees just enough to pass muster and are simplistic enough that a tech who relies solely on their training could never advance any farther on that alone. These should not be recognized by the boards as an adequate training model. An organization such as the PTCB needs to be in charge of a uniform testing model, and be enacted in all states.

Speaking of salaries, as much as it pains me to say this, we need to stop using how much we should make as a talking point.  Nobody in this profession is in it because of the money, and we will never become rich doing it.  That’s just reality. The only thing we should be pushing for at this point is a living wage. too many of us hover around or below the poverty line. While it’s unrealistic to imagine a world where every tech who puts on a lab coat will make more than half of what the Pharmacist makes, for the work that we do, we deserve the compensation that will allow us to live. Minimum wage is not a living wage.  Above that we need to move on to our other focus, and not appear greedy to those we are trying to convince.

Activism is the way to obtain it, and apathy will only hurt us.  If you are satisfied punching in and punching out and nothing more, we will never prevail. Join grassroots organizations. Write your congressmen. Attend board meetings and learn how the system works. And GET INVOLVED.

Official NPTA blog

The NPTA has launched an Official Blog for their organization.  While major news events will be covered by their homepage, and various other outlets, the blog will have a behind-the-scenes look at the industry, as well as other bits of inromation about whats going on in the world of pharmacy technicians and the NPTA.

Click here to visit the NPTA blog.

Pharmacy Technician Day 2009

October 27th 2009 is National Pharmacy Technician Day.   Celebrated in October, part of American Pharmacist’s month, this day is made to take a look at what Pharmacy Technicians do in the workplace. The vital role they play in the safe and efficient delivery of medications in the health care to millions of patients.

So, for all the Pharmacy Technicians that see this site, we say Thank You.  Tell us how you celebrated today.  Post in the comments, or the forums. Share pictures if you can.  Take pride in your career. Read more

Over 25,000 Pharmacists and Technicians Access PTCB Funded Web-Based Continuing Education Programs

WASHINGTON, PRNewswire, Press Release

The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) is proud to announce that over 25,000 pharmacists and technicians have accessed two web-based and podcast continuing education (CE) programs developed in collaboration with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and funded by PTCB. The two programs, “Pharmacy Technician Roles in Sterile IV Compounding: Challenges, Opportunities, and Competencies” and “Pharmacy Technician Certification: Trained, Tested, Trusted” were developed to meet identified unmet educational needs of pharmacy technicians and pharmacists and are offered free of charge. Read more

Emily’s Foundation

Article Copy. Written by Michael Sangiacomo, from Ohio’s  Plain Dealer News.

Chris Jerry still hears the screams of his 2-year-old daughter, Emily, after a medical mistake put her into agonizing pain and led to her death three years ago.

His grief was overwhelming, but it drove him to give meaning to Emily’s death, suffered at the hands of a pharmacy technician who mistakenly gave the toddler a fatal dose of saline solution. Read more

Why I became a Pharmacy Technician and a story of my life.

Departing from the normal news items posted here, I am writing a personal Blog entry. A short story on why I am here today.  A second read, I think is seems a bit egotistical and narcissistic. Though I don’t really want to come across that way. I’m just reflecting. Hope you enjoy.

Just around 8 years and 9 months ago, I was faced with having to carefully craft a plan for the rest of my life. Sometimes it does not go as planned.

I was soon graduating from college, and was told by my girlfriend that she was pregnant.  And after a day of sheer panic, I had to start thinking.  3 months down the line I would be a graduate. 7 months later I would be a father. It was time to start job hunting.

After doing my final internship, I got my diploma in Multimedia and Web Design.  I had a number of promising offers and job leads in some metropolitan areas, but after talking with my partner, Read more

NPTA Offers Online Training Program To Become A Pharmacy Tech

(Press Release, NPTA) The National Pharmacy Technician Association announced today the launch of the Official NPTA Pharmacy Technician Certificate Program™, a comprehensive online training program. The new program is designed to meet the growing demand for qualified, educated pharmacy technicians as well as the flexibility and affordability required by prospective students. Read more

NABP Moves to Next Phase of Technician Recognition and Regulation

(PTCB Press Release) The PTCB is proud to announce a new recommendation issued by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Task Force on Standardized Pharmacy Technician Education and Training which encourages state boards of pharmacy to require certification by the PTCB. Read more

Ex-R.Ph. Eric Cropp found guilty death of Emily Jerry

Eric Cropp, a former Cleavland Pharmacist, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter Wednesday in the death of a 2-year-old Emily Jerry. Jerry died from a lethal injection of a salt solution during a cancer treatment. The lethal injection was the result of a medication error when a pharmacy technician prepared the medication. Cropp failed to catch the error. Read more

PTCB: 6,800 pharmacy technicians applied for testing

(PTCB, PRWeb): – The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board announced today that since on-demand testing with immediate pass/fail results was launched on April 1, 2009, 6,800 pharmacy technicians have applied to take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam. The new testing format represents an effort by PTCB to offer greater flexibility and convenience in the availability of the PTCE, the highest quality test available for pharmacy technician certification. Read more

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